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Lower Stress Naturally - The importance of nature in your life.

More and more our lives are becoming urbanized. The increasing complexity of consumer technology is pushing us to live in more efficient (aka fast-paced) work and home environments. Time staring at a computer or phone screen is rising daily and is creating health concerns and a national sleep crisis.

But a 20 minute walk in nature may be all it takes to reduce all these negative impacts. This remedy is being dubbed the “nature-pill” and a recent study proved that the stress hormone cortisol was reduced in a group of participants as they spent time relaxing in a natural setting. The studies goal was to assist healthcare practitioners looking for evidence based results on how to prescribe a “walk through the park” to their patients.

“This study describes the relationship between duration of a nature experience (NE), and changes in two physiological biomarkers of stress – salivary cortisol and alpha-amylase.”

This measured result, means that for the first time, healthcare professionals can actually prescribe nature interactions as a reliable way to manage stress in patients. But looking at this more proactively, taking time out of your day to sit or relax in a natural setting will significantly lower your stress levels before any conditions can develop.

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The study itself was run over an 8 week period where participants were asked to relax in nature for a minimum duration of 10 minutes.

"... study participants are free to choose the time of day, duration, and the place of a NE in response to personal preference and changing daily schedules.”

This flexibility allowed the researches to monitor and identify the ideal duration of the “nature-pill” which means more specific diagnosis and more reliable results when repeated.

The Conclusion:

The minimum effective dose of the “nature-pill” is a 20 minute experience; this was shown to reliably lower cortisol levels. You should aim to spend the time sitting, lying down or meditating.

Aerobic exercise or distractions like audio or a book will dampen the overall effect. If you can extend your time to 30 minutes this will have the greatest effect on your cortisol levels.

Additional time has a continued effect but at a much lower rate, which 20 to 30 minutes being the sweet spot.

“The efficiency of a nature pill per time expended was greatest between 20 and 30 min, after which benefits continued to accrue, but at a reduced rate.”

The hope is this study will serve as a step towards further and deeper research into this area.

Where could you go to get your dose of stress lowering nature? Are there parks nearby, or a nice river or lake? Not all of us are lucky enough to have a forest on our doorstep, and this could be even harder depending on where you work. So have a think this weekend where you could escape to for 20 minutes to allow your mind to calm.

Study Referenced:

MaryCarol R. Hunter, Brenda W. Gillespie, Sophie Yu-Pu Chen.

Urban Nature Experiences Reduce Stress in the Context of Daily Life Based on Salivary Biomarkers.Frontiers in Psychology, 2019; 10 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00722

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